Research findings demonstrate that PDSs effectively prepare general education teachers and lead to increased student academic outcomes. Previous studies within the extant literature have investigated the application of the PDS model with traditional credential candidates. Acute teacher shortages and the implementation of alternative credential…

With a new governor in Albany and a brand-new interagency group working on early childhood policy in the Mayor's office, early childhood advocates across the city were already pondering what changes might be afoot--and whether the time had come for the city to move toward a more integrated, high-quality system of early care and education. Given…

This study compared characteristics of adults with visual impairments who were either successful or unsuccessful in retaining jobs in competitive employment settings. Data were obtained from a database of vocational rehabilitation (VR) client cases collected from 1978 to 1986. The final sample included three groups: (1) a noncompetitive group of…

Research has supported the idea that the use of computers in the education of young children promotes social interaction and academic achievement. This resource booklet provides an introduction to computers in early childhood settings to enrich learning opportunities and provides guidance to teachers to find developmentally appropriate software…

St. Augustine College (SAC), in North Carolina, has undertaken four studies to gather data on factors related to student persistence, transfer, and withdrawal from the college. In the first study, graduating students from June 1990 to December 1992 were surveyed to determine influences on their decisions to transfer to a university. Three major…

This paper provides a list of variables identified as important to learning that emerged from a "meta-review" of the professional literature, as well as a summary of consensus ratings of these variables by professionals in the field. The variables are organized into six major categories: (1) state and district variables; (2) out of school…

Noting that the interpersonal dynamics between parents who are high achieving and children who are not achieving up to their potential can be the cause of the disparity, this book explores how children become underachievers and how parents can improve their expectations and the emotional climate to allow their child to feel happy and successful.…

Published to celebrate the United Nations' International Year of the Family, this special issue presents selected articles from "set," a twice yearly journal of research information for teachers. These articles look at the contribution of educational research on the relationships between schools and families, and families and learning in…

This literature review examines the effect of teacher expectations on minority students, and especially on Mexican-American students. The review focuses on four areas: (1) teachers' attitudes and expectations toward Mexican-American children; (2) teachers' attitudes and expectations toward minority children; (3) teachers' performance expectations…

Teacher enthusiasm has been linked to increased student achievement and attentiveness. Although enthusiasm is often mentioned to teachers and preservice teachers as being important, they are rarely trained in the particulars of enthusiastic teaching. This investigation was designed to explicate relationships among enthusiasm behaviors in a natural…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the perceptions of student teachers' efficacy as measured by themselves, their cooperating teachers, and their university supervisors. A self-constructed instrument containing 30 items related to student teacher competencies was used for this evaluative measure.…

This manual is designed to assist trainers in using the Australian Standards of Work Performance in ongoing functional assessment and databased training of disabled persons for employment. It is divided into three sections. Section 1 begins with an overview of the functional assessment component of a databased training system and details the…

The purpose of this study was to use secondary analysis of an Australian database known as the Second International Science Study (SISS) to examine the role of student, school and home factors in explaining student differences in science achievement, especially on sex differences. Student characteristics investigated in the study included home…

Results are now available from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) with its 5 main components, 41 cooperating countries, over 500,000 participants, and coverage of the full spectrum of mathematics and science from grades 4 through 12. American educators, parents, and policy makers have found the results to be both…

Student teachers' thoughts about teaching can shape, foster, or impede their growth toward expert pedagogy. This study examined the thoughts about teaching of two groups of student teachers--45 graduate and 63 undergraduate students. The professional coursework of both groups was very similar, with one exception--graduate students had no practica…